Student Attendance Policy

• Class attendance is required beginning with the first-class meeting.

• Students who are not actively participating in an online class and/or do not submit the first assignment by the scheduled due date may be withdrawn by the instructor at the end of the first week.  Student attendance in online courses is defined by federal regulations as an active participation in the course as described in the individual course syllabus.

• In the event of absence from a classroom course or the inability to participate in an online or hybrid course, the student must contact their professor immediately to indicate the reason and to inquire whether make-up work is possible. In the event of an emergency (e.g. illness), instructors may require official documentation or verification.

• It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from his or her courses as soon as the decision to drop has been made. Students are considered to be enrolled in the course until he or she withdraws. During the add/drop period, students can add and drop online. After the add/drop period, students must complete the Drop/Withdrawal Form and submit to the Office of the Registrar. Please refer to the Drop/Withdrawal Policy for more information.

• An Administrative Drop may take place if a student is absent for a period of two consecutive weeks and does not contact the instructor or complete the appropriate paperwork.
• (The following two bullets are effective Fall 2023 because WF grade is being done away with.)
  • Administrative Drop Forms submitted on or before the Course Withdrawal Deadline will receive a "W" grade for each course
  • Administrative Drop Forms submitted after the Course Withdrawal Deadline will receive a "F" grade for each course

• When a student’s number of absences (excused or unexcused) for any course exceeds 20% of the total course appointments, a grade of “F” may be given for that course.

• Excused absences up to five days are allowed for bereavement if the death was an immediate family member (spouse, parent, sibling, child, or grandparent). Other family members, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins, are usually not in this category unless they were part of the immediate family unit. Additional time must be requested by the student and agreed to by the instructor. Verification must be provided at the time of the student’s return to class. All coursework must be made up within a time frame agreed upon with the course instructor.

Please refer to the program handbook for additional attendance policies.

Program Integrity and Documentation of Online Course Attendance

Faculty members must certify that students are actively attending an online course or hybrid course that does not meet face-to-face. If a student does not complete at least one of these activities during a weeks’ time, they will be marked absent.  Attendance will be kept up to date on a weekly basis.  Online courses will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for student participation no more frequently than daily, which can be documented by any or all of the following methods:

1. Submit an assignment online
2. Take an online assessment
3. Completion of tests or quizzes
4. Participate in an online discussion or forum about academic matters
5. Submission/completion of assignment
6. Complete an online interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction that is trackable
7. Initiate contact with the faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course
8. Other course participation as described in the syllabus

Students are required to log in to each online course to complete the postings/assignments required in the course. As a component of attendance, student email, course announcements and discussion forums should be checked frequently (daily is recommended). The student is solely responsible for checking updates related to the course. Note: nonattendance may affect financial aid. If a student fails to meet the attendance requirements, he or she may be recommended for withdrawal from the course. In the case of an anticipated absence, the student should contact the instructor in advance and make arrangements to complete the required assignments. In case of an emergency (illness/accident or death in family), a student should contact the instructor as soon as possible providing documentation supporting the need for any late submission of a graded event.

Students who do not complete the course attendance requirements within the drop/add period for the course will be dropped from the course. (Drop/add and withdrawal dates are listed in the published schedule and University Catalog). Students who fail to maintain active participation in an online course will be processed in accordance with this attendance policy.